- Am I going to get injured?
- How can I prevent injury and make sure that I avoid injury?
- What if I’ve been injured before – can I become more confident in facing the same sport that gave me the injury in the first place?
- Is there something I could do better?
Simple questions that are being asked all the time, and you’re not alone.
In our practice, we come across people of all walks of life, where a large number of them being those who play sports for leisure and competitive levels. Being involved in sports frequently means that you’re exposed to a higher risk of injury as a result of frequent training and participation in your chosen sport.
Experiencing injury and recovery from during your training or sport is never easy. It is a test for both the physical and mental state of an individual. While some of the injuries take a shorter period to recover, there are also some that may take longer than we would generally hope for. In some cases, when the recovery takes longer than it should, we have seen individuals refraining from returning to their favourite sports or activity just because they’re afraid of re-injuring themselves again.
All of these cases lead us to ask:
- Is there a way that we can help reduce the risk of injury while participating in sports? and
- How can we better prepare our own Practice Members to return to their sports?
In our quest to look for solutions to our questions above, we found a technique called Movement Assessment Tool or MAT. MAT is an evidence based assessment technique that uses objective data to record the individual’s movement. Based on the data collected, we can then compare the individual’s performance to the normative values gathered from a larger population.
The analysis as a result of the MAT technique will help individuals to better understand their overall body function and provide early identification of potential risks for injury. Through this technique, our Practice Members have benefited objectively in knowing how they can overcome injury risks and this knowledge allows them to perform better in their activity or sports!
If you are an athlete or is an individual who actively engages in sports or any type of fitness activity, you could also benefit from the outcomes of the MAT technique. If you’re unsure how this technique could benefit you, just make an appointment to come in for a quick chat with the team.
We believe by raising awareness and educating more people on injury prevention, coupled with the use of the MAT technique, individuals will now begin to approach their sports activities without fear of injury. As individuals begin to take a more pro-active role in their own personal health and well being, we are confident that we would see a healthier and stronger Malaysia!